Slip sheet for construction

ABSTRACT

A slip sheet provides a vapor barrier at a location where two siding boards abut after being secured to a wall. This slip sheet includes moisture impervious material having a predetermined thickness. The sheet of impervious material allows the slip sheet to slide between one of the siding boards and the wall. The slip sheet also includes a strip of adhesive that extends only along a top edge of the sheet of moisture impervious material to temporarily secure the sheet of moisture impervious material to the wall until each of the siding boards is secured thereto. The slip sheet is positioned between the wall and the siding boards where the siding boards abut. The slip sheet adheres to the wall until the siding boards are secured to the wall. This creates a vapor barrier to prevent moisture from reaching the wall at the abutment joint.

This patent application is a divisional application of a U.S. patentapplication having Ser. No. 12/201,723, filed Aug. 29, 2008, which is acontinuation-in-part of a U.S. patent application having Ser. No.11/482,597, filed Jul. 7, 2006, and claims priority thereto.

BACKGROUND ART

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to creating vapor barriers behind siding boards ofa building. More particularly, the invention relates to a device toprevent water and water vapor from seeping between the ends of sidingboards that abut each other.

2. Description of the Related Art

When siding board is secured to a wall of a building, it is necessary attimes to reinforce a vapor barrier at the joints where siding boardsmeet. Such protection further facilitates the function of the sidingboards to shed water.

Typically, a hard material is inserted behind the siding board andsecured to the wall at locations where siding boards abut. The use ofthese hard materials is cumbersome and time consuming. The timeconsumption is involved in affixing the hard material to the wall at aproper location and at a proper height. The added thickness created bythe application of these hard materials to the wall also must be takeninto account.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method for preventing water from reaching a wall covered by sidingboards using a plurality of slip sheets includes the step of positioninga first siding board on the wall. A slip sheet is slid between thesiding board and the wall. The slip sheet is adhered to the wall. Asecond siding board is positioned on the wall in abutting relationshipwith the first siding board. And the siding boards are then secured tothe wall.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Advantages of the invention will be readily appreciated as the samebecomes better understood by reference to the following detaileddescription when considered in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a building, partially cutaway, showingthe use of one embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a front view of the invention secured to a wall behind sidingboards.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the Figures, the invention, a slip sheet, is generallyindicated at 10. The slip sheet 10 provides a vapor barrier at alocation where two siding boards 12, 14 abut. Although not shown, theslip sheet 10 may be used at a location where two siding boards 12, 14meet at a corner 16 of a building, generally shown at 18. In theFigures, the slip sheets 10 are, however, shown to be secured to a wall20 against which the two siding board 12, 14 are secured.

The slip sheet 10 includes a sheet of moisture impervious material 22.In the embodiment shown, the sheet of moisture impervious material isshaped in a rectangle. It should be appreciated by those skilled in theart that the sheets 22 maybe cut in any shape desired for a particularwall 20 or siding board 14 configuration. The sheets 22 have apredetermined thickness. This thickness is approximately three mils. Inone embodiment, the thickness is approximately 4.5 mils. Therefore, thesheets 22 are thin enough such that they will be able to be slid behindsiding boards 14 before or after the siding boards 12, 14 are secured tothe wall 20. In the preferred embodiment, the sheets of moistureimpervious material 22 are fabricated from polypropylene copolymer blacksurface and a gray corona treated EVA copolymer surface. Other materialsthat may be used include, but are not limited to, polyethylene or othersynthetic plastic materials having a thickness four mils or less. Thesheets 22 may be fabricated out of this material, sold by RavenIndustries, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, under the trademark Raven F450BD.

The slip sheet 10 also includes a strip of adhesive 24 (best shown inFIG. 2 with a corner of the sheet 22 pulled back). The strip of adhesive24 extends along a portion of this sheet of moisture impervious material22 to temporarily secure the sheet of moisture impervious material 22 tothe wall 20 until each of the siding boards 12, 14 is secured thereto.In the preferred embodiment as shown in the Figures, the strip ofadhesive 24 extends along a top edge 26 of the sheet of moistureimpervious material 22. Because the strip of adhesive 24 extends along aportion of the sheet of impervious material 22, it extends only alongthe top edge 26. The strip of adhesive 24 is approximately one inch wideand extends across the entire top edge 26 of the sheet 22. The strip ofthe adhesive 24 is strong enough to hold the sheet 22 against the wall20 during the finishing of the wall 20. Once the siding boards 12, 14are secured to the wall 20 using fasteners 28, it is the fasteners 28that continue to hold the sheet of moisture impervious material 22 inplace against the wall 20 over the duration of the life of the sidingboards 12, 14.

The slip sheet 10 defines a length 30 which is great that the width ofthe siding boards 12, 14. In operation, the slip sheet 10 is used toprevent water from reaching the wall 20 covered by the siding boards 12,14. A method for using the slip sheet 10 includes the positioning of afirst siding board 12 on the wall 20. The slip sheet 10 is then slidbetween the siding board 12 and the wall 20. The slip sheet 10 is thenadhered to the wall 20 by pressing the strip of adhesive 24thereagainst. A second siding board 14 is then positioned with respectto the wall 20 and the first siding board 12 such that they abut oneanother. Then, the siding boards 12, 14 are secured to the wall 20 usingfasteners 28. The fasteners 28 are also used to secure the slip sheet 10thereto by positioning the fasteners 28 at a location where the sidingboards 12, 14 overlap the slip sheet 10. If necessary, the slip sheet 10is then cut so that any portion thereof that would hang over the bottomof the siding boards 12, 14 is exposed would be removed.

The invention has been described in an illustrative manner. It is to beunderstood that the terminology, which has been used, is intended to bein the nature of words of description rather than of limitation.

Many modifications and variations of the invention are possible in lightof the above teachings. Therefore, within the scope of the appendedclaims, the invention may be practiced other than as specificallydescribed.

I claim:
 1. A method for preventing water from reaching a wall coveredby siding boards using a plurality of slip sheets, the method includingthe steps of: positioning a first siding board on the wall; sliding aslip sheet between the siding board and the wall; adhering the slipsheet to the wall; positioning a second siding board on the wall inabutting relationship with the first siding board; and securing thesiding boards to the wall.
 2. A method as set forth in claim 1 includingthe step of cutting the slip sheet such that the slip sheet extends to abottom edge of each of the siding boards.
 3. A method as set forth inclaim 2 wherein the step of adhering the slip sheet to the wall includesthe step of adhering only a top edge of the slip sheet to the wall.